William Bradford (1590-1657) was the wise and able governor of the Plymouth colony for thirty years. During this time he wrote the best account we have of our colonial beginnings. His narrative, Of Plymouth Plantation, as he called his work, is a great adventure story. The account of the little band of Pilgrims who came to Massachusetts in 1620 is filled with hardships, suffering, courage, and faith. The Pilgrims faced problems hard to solve, for they landed on the bleak coast of New England at the beginning of the winter. They were three thousand miles from home, friends, and civilization, but they worked, prayed, and survived. The leadership of William Bradford is one of the reasons that the Plymouth settlers were able to survive on the rocky shores of Massachusetts. Governor Bradford began his history of the colony soon after the landing and worked on it, from time to time, for many years. The precious manuscript was not published, but was kept in the family. Early historians used it, and at the time of the Revolution it was kept in the library of the Old South Church in Boston. During the war the manuscript was stolen, probably by a British soldier, and was lost for years. In the middle of the nineteenth century, however, it was found in the library of the Bishop of London. Various Americans tried to persuade the British to return the historic document to America. Finally the American ambassador succeeded in bringing the manuscript home in 1897, and it now is the property of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. If the manuscript were printed just as it was written, it would look very strange. Bradford did not prepare it for publication, and thus used many abbreviations and strange contractions. Also, the English language has changed since the history was written. The following selections have been pruned somewhat and words have been spelled out, but the governor’s old-fashioned language is still not easy to read. Be patient and you will understand it. It is a story of simple faith and courage. The first part of the history describes the experiences of the Pilgrims before they came to America. Because they disapproved of the Church of England, they separated themselves from it. Hence the Pilgrims also are known as Separatists. They first went to Holland, where they were able to worship as they pleased. But that country was small and overpopulated. They found it difficult to make a living there. Also, they feared their children would grow up more Dutch than English. Therefore they decided, after much discussion, to leave Europe for America. It was a hard decision, and some of the Pilgrims were terrified at the prospect.